


September 11th 2001

by Supreme_EvilQueen



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: AU, F/F, Family, Pain, possible death, trigger - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-10
Updated: 2014-07-10
Packaged: 2018-02-08 06:57:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1931052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Supreme_EvilQueen/pseuds/Supreme_EvilQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU Regina's finally working again, having had a few years off to look after her and Emma's son, but today was not a good day to go back. Trigger warning.</p>
            </blockquote>





	September 11th 2001

"Godssake, Regina! You don't need to get up at five when your meeting starts at nine!" Emma mumbled into the pillows when Regina's alarm rudely awakened her. Her wife chuckled and shifted so she could wrap her arms around Emma and kiss her neck. "I'm sorry, dear. Will you please forgive me?" Regina muttered, her voice still thick with sleep, as her kisses moved from Emma's neck, to Emma's cheek.

Emma moaned and rolled around to wrap her arms around her, to watch her pretty face. Emma leant forward and pressed her lips to Regina's. "You're not going to let me sleep are you?"

"Nope," Regina smirked, and Emma could feel her wife's hand rubbing her stomach gently, slowly moving lower.

* * *

"I really love you," Emma drawled as Regina lifted her head from pressing kisses to Emma's stomach to kiss her mouth instead.

"Well I really love you too, Emma," Regina whispered before finally pulling herself from the bed. "See, I do need to get up at five- you're insatiable!" Emma just grinned and watched her wife get ready from the comfort of the warm bed.

"Shut up, you know you love it too!" Regina rolled her eyes, simply opting to throw last night's skirt at her face. Emma laughed, dropping it to the floor and slipping from the bed. She stalked over to Regina and wrapped her arms around the brunette's waist and pulled her tight to her. "I'll make breakfast," she whispered in her ear, pressing a kiss there.

Regina smiled and turned in the embrace. "Thank you," she kissed her. "Love you."

"Yeah yeah, woman," Emma teased, pulling on Regina's favourite shirt to cover her naked body from their four year old before venturing into the kitchen.

Emma heard a gasp and the sound of something dropping when she turned on the kitchen light. She walked through to their adjoined living room to see their son staring wide eyed up at her, clutching the TV remote, his cereal bowl dropped on the floor. Emma laughed at the sight and ran over to him, picking him up and tickling him where ever possible.

Henry gasped at her before doubling over in laughter, trying to fight her off. "Mama no! No stop!" he exclaimed, his laughs making Emma laugh more. She finally relented and placed him back on the sofa. He grinned at her and lifted his arms up. Emma smiled and ruffled his hair and then lifted him up in her arms.

"And what are you doing up so early, kid?" Henry shrugged his smile still in place, just happy he wasn't in trouble.

"I wasn't tired anymore, and your room was dark," Henry stated, and Emma nodded.

"Fair enough, kid. You hungry?" Henry glanced at his cereal bowl, before looking sheepishly at his mother. He knew he wasn't allowed to eat a lot in the morning; otherwise it would 'spoil his appetite for the rest of the day!' Emma followed his gaze and pressed a finger to her lips. "I won't tell if you won't?" He beamed and clapped his hands. Emma kissed his head. "Good choice, kid."

Emma walked into the kitchen, still carrying Henry, who decided to bring his bowl to the sink, but not without trying to bang out some sort of song using the spoon and the bowl. She suspected it was Bohemian Rhapsody, Regina's favourite, but she couldn't be sure. "You done, Freddie?" she asked, when the rattling subsided, and Henry nodded, grinning.

She grinned back and sat him on the counter so he could 'help'- get flour everywhere. Emma turned on the Guns and Roses CD and Henry giggled. She knew this was his favourite, and it was the only one that they could both sing along to loudly and not worry about sounding horribly off key.

Emma flitted about the kitchen, making apple pancakes for the three of them, singing along loudly to Sweet Child O Mine, with Henry laughing and clapping along, his feet kicking the cupboards. She had just finished the first three when Regina emerged from their room. She came over and kissed Emma's cheek. "Good morning, darling." She mumbled as she lingered by her cheek. Emma smiled and turned to capture her lips in a quick kiss before Henry could complain. Too late.

"Moms! Ew!" they pulled apart, albeit reluctantly, but grinning. Emma leaned over and turned the music down, knowing that Regina doesn't like loud music that much- at least not in the mornings.

"Good morning, Henry!" Regina said happily, making her way over to him so she could hold his hands as they danced around the kitchen, Henry stomping on top of Emma's counters.

"Oy, I need that space!" she said, bumping her wife's hip to gently move her out the way. Regina grinned and took their stomping son in her arms to pretend to waltz around the kitchen with him. Emma laughed at the sight and grabbed the camera, snapping a picture of the two. "Aren't you both gorgeous!" she exclaimed, waiting for the picture to print before pinning it on the refrigerator next to the other hundred the family had snapped.

"I'm hungry," Henry suddenly said. Regina nodded and placed him down at the table in front of Emma's pancakes. The boy's eyes lit up as he started to attack his breakfast. Regina smiled watching him, and she gratefully took a mug of coffee from Emma's hands.

"You going to be okay with him all day?" Regina asked quietly, and Emma nodded.

"Yeah, I know it's been a while, but you've missed so much work- I'm so glad they gave you your job back after four years!" Emma teased.

Regina smirked, "well you know better than most my... powers of persuasion." She wriggled her eyebrows at Emma, who just hit her arm lightly, giggling.

"I'm not so sure, maybe you'll have to remind me," Emma whispered in her ear, her hand slipping under Regina's shirt and wandering across her stomach, lightly ticking her side. Regina gasped, but pulled from her.

"Not in front of Henry, you horny teenager," Regina mocked, but Emma just grinned and shrugged.

"You married me, wife!" Regina frowned. Emma noticed and kicked herself. "Sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's not your fault we're not married. I did everything I could..." Regina tailed off. Emma nodded and rubbed her arm.

"I know, I know, but we can still be engaged. There's no law in New York that'll stop us! And I can call you my wife, I don't care what people think. I love you and I'm not going to let anyone stop me from doing that," Emma said gently, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Regina smiled and nodded, moving a hand from her coffee mug to grasp Emma's. She glanced over at Henry and saw he was so engrossed with his pancakes, he hadn't seen what was going on between the two. She leaned over and pressed her lips tightly to Emma's. "I'm so in love with you," she mumbled, making Emma's heart flutter. She raised her hand to cup Regina's cheek.

"I know," Emma whispered. They were both yanked from their bubble at the clatter of a fork and a loud of shout of 'finished!' from their son, who still seems to have some manners to learn.

Regina stepped into action, removing the utensils from his grasp and telling him to go brush his teeth and get dressed. Henry nodded and went to jump from the table, not before kissing her cheek.

"I love you, mom," he said quietly, hopping off his seat and wrapping his little arms around her legs and squeezing tightly. Regina smiled and slid down to his height.

"I love you too, Henry," she pressed a kiss to his head before shooing him off to get dressed. He grinned and did the same to Emma before charging out of the room, making aeroplane noises. Emma switched off the CD player so that the two women could listen out for his bedroom door clattering open and then the sound of him 'crashing' into the big building (collapsing on his bed).

Regina chuckled at his adventurous streak. She glanced at the clock and placed her mug in the sink. "I better be off soon..." Emma frowned and placed a plate of pancakes in front of her, which Regina dug into.

"I hate when you leave," Emma voiced quietly, twiddling her thumbs. Regina sighed and grabbed Emma's hands, pressing a kiss to each one.

"I'm not really leaving, I'll be home by seven I promise," she insisted. Emma smiled sadly and pushed herself from the table.

"I know, I'm sorry... I don't know what's wrong with me today! I'm so clingy this morning, I mean... we never kiss this much in the mornings and I-" Regina cut her off by pressing a kiss to her mouth.

"Are you complaining?" Regina purred.

Emma smirked and shook her head. "Not at all," her face grew serious. "I just... I don't know, it feels weird."

Regina rolled her eyes as she rinsed her plate. "I know it's been four years since I've been gone this long, but you'll be fine, I promise." Emma took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yeah I know you're right," she grinned. "You're always right." Regina nodded as she walked to grab her bag.

"I know I'm always right, dear," she said walking back to Emma. "I'll bring in dinner tonight." She kissed her fiercely for the last time, pulling back only to place a chaste kiss at the corner of her lip. "I love you."

Emma nodded, "I love you, too." Regina grinned and shouted out.

"Bye Henry, I love you!" She heard him reply.

"Bye mom! Love you too!"

"Back at seven," she whispered to Emma, making her way to the door. Emma smacked her ass, smirking when Regina turned back to her, fake shock etched on her face.

"I'll punish you for that later."

Emma grinned, "you better, Madame Mayor.” Regina rolled her eyes.

"Not yet, nearly though," she winked and waved her fingers at Emma before finally leaving the apartment. 

* * *

Emma stood in the, now, silent kitchen, with only the clock ticking. It felt too eerie for her liking, so she turned the CD player back on and went to find Henry.

She couldn't help but laugh when she saw him- his clothes were on backwards and he'd managed to make his hair look as though it had never been brushed. "Oh dear, did someone forget that we put the buttons at the front?" she asked, stepping into the room.

Henry looked up from his toy plane, his eyes wide and confused. "What you mean, mama?" he said so innocently, Emma couldn't help that she dropped to the floor and bundled him up her arms, kissing him everywhere.

Henry squealed and shrieked, desperate to escape his mama's evil fingers. Emma laughed at him but let him go, not wanting the kid to break anything the way he was flailing about. "You're mean, mama!" Henry exclaimed, but the grin on his face said he didn't mean it. Emma played along anyway.

She pouted and twisted her face away from him so he couldn't see her unrestrained smile. "Fine, I'll just..." she made her voice quiver and that was all it took. Henry pounced on her back, his arms clinging tightly to her neck.

"I'm sorry, mama! I'm so sorry!" he wailed, making the blonde chuckle and pull him over her shoulder so she could hug him tight.

"I know baby boy, I know," she said quietly, burying her face into his hair. They sat in silence for a moment, simply hugging before Henry decided he was bored.

"Mama, I watch the TV?" Emma nodded.

"Sure thing kid, I'll set it up and you watch whilst I shower, okay?" Henry gasped.

"Can I shower?" he said excitedly, Emma smiled at him and shook her head.

"Not yet, kid. When you're older I promise you can!" He nodded, seemingly accepting this promise before toddling off to the TV.

Emma followed him through and set up some kids show he shouted for. She retreated back to her and Regina's room to jump in the shower. She hoped to take Henry out today and maybe just pop by Regina's office for a minute... or sixty. She heard the phone ring, but dismissed it. It was never going to be Regina and she wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone at the moment.

She adjusted the radio so she could hear the music playing, and also hear Henry's TV show babbling in the background. She hopped in the shower, singing loudly when Fleetwood Mac's Go Your Own Way blasted through the tiny speakers. This was their song, the song that played when they first met. Emma loved the irony behind it, how the two had bonded over a song telling the other to leave.

She was singing so loudly she didn't hear the phone ring, or Henry knocking at the door. It's only when she saw the curtain being tugged did she hear her son panicked.

"Mama, the phone Mama, it keeps ringing, Mom was on and she was talking about loving us and Mama!" Emma felt her stomach drop. She grabbed the towel and wrapped it round herself, hitting the radio off. She jumped out the bathtub and gathered Henry in her arms. Tears were streaming down his face.

"Hey, kid it's alright, don't worry. I'm here, don't cry, I got you," she rambled, running through to get the phone. Henry kept a tight grip on her hair, shaking his head.

"There was a big plane Mama, it flew like mine did- crash to the big building. It was so loud," he muttered, his face hidden in her neck. Emma's heart stopped.

"What are you talking about, Henry?" she spoke quietly, her voice deadly serious. He sniffed and raised his little head to look at her. He pointed out the window towards the famous twin towers.

"The plane. I heard it and wanted to see and it flew so low I could see all the marks on it! It flew and flew into the building mom works in..." the boy's lip quivered and more tears fell.

Emma felt her heart stop, the room seemed to spin. All she could see was Regina. Dead. Regina laughing. Regina dead. Regina kissing her that morning. Regina dead. Emma let out a sob and she fell to the floor, clutching Henry tight to her as she sobbed into his head. He let her hold him tight, his grip not much slacker.

He was only a child, but he seemed to understand that something terrible had happened, but now wasn't the time to ask.

"She spoke to me Mama," Henry whispered. Emma only squeezed him tighter, refusing to listen. "The phone, Mama," suddenly Emma understood. She kept a firm hold on him as she stumbled over to the phone. Two voicemails. She dialled the number shakily, placing Henry on the counter for fear of dropping him.

"Hey Emma, sorry, I know I've only been gone half an hour, but I was just wondering if you wanted to grab lunch? I've got two hours at twelve, call me back. Love you," Emma closed her eyes and clutched the phone to her chest. This was the call she dismissed. Henry laid his hand on hers, as if offering sympathy without even realising. She squeezed his hand tightly before she played the next message.

Before Regina's voice sounded there was crackling and screaming, with someone panting down the line. "Emma? Emma! Pick up idiot, what the fuck is happening? Emma!" Emma winced. Regina never swore. She'd known the woman seven years and never once had she ever sworn. Coughing echoed down the line and Emma held the phone tighter as she heard a man shouting something. Vague words like "safety", "plane", "fire" and "staircase" flew down the line.

And then there was silence.

Emma was still clinging to the phone as if it were her only life source. She was too afraid to move, to breathe, in case something had happened to her Regina.

"Where's mom, Mama?" Henry asked, his voice sounding far too old for his four year old self. Emma couldn't speak. She just shook her head and cradled him back into her embrace. She walked slowly to the window of their apartment and watched the chaos below.

Smoke and rubble littered the streets, people were screaming and running around, completely lost and confused. Emma held Henry tighter when he lurched forward to lean against the glass. "Look, Mama," he whispered, pointing up to the famous twin towers. Emma felt sick when she saw the gaping hole in the North Building. Fire and smoke evading the monstrous building. And then she noticed. The plane was at the top. Regina was on the 70th floor.

Warmth returned to her suddenly and she ran into the bedroom. She dropped Henry on the bed and she started to grab clothes on. He dutifully sat there, hands over his eyes. "What's happening, Mama?"

"I don't know yet, Henry. But I think your mom's in trouble. I'm going to save her," he gasped.

"Because you're her Saviour!" Emma rolled her eyes, glad he couldn't see. It was one time! Regina couldn't carry Henry and the groceries up the stairs, so Emma helped- just like any normal human would do- and of course, Regina was over grateful in calling Emma her Saviour and now the name had stuck with Henry. It didn't help that Regina always commented when Emma 'saved' Henry from the spiders. But that didn't matter now.

Emma yanked a sweater over her head and shoved her feet in her boots. She grabbed her red leather coat (okay, Regina hated it, but the woman had so often commented how it was impossible to miss and right now, Emma wasn't taking any chances). "Kid, think you can wait for me next door? I'm going to go get mom okay?" Henry nodded. He wanted to help, but he could see the panic and desperation Emma was feeling. God knows how he could, the kid was four, but that wasn't important. "Love you," she muttered, grabbing him in her arms and rushing next door.

She left him with Ruby, who usually looked after him when both his moms were working, before dashing out to the crowded street.

Smoke clouded her vision, and Emma had to raise her arm to cover her mouth before she suffocated in the thick smog. She pulled a pair of sunglasses on to protect herself from the bitty ash as she shoved her way through throngs of people shouting and crying. "Regina!" she yelled, praying the woman had got out and was searching for her. "Reg-" her second cry was drowned out by a plane flying so low, Emma felt the need to duck.

A bloodcurdling scream shot through her when this plane collided with the second tower with a bang so loud the entire street shook. It was like something out a dream- well, a nightmare. All Emma could do at seeing the impact was rush forward before even more people could step in her way.

As she tore down the street, Emma couldn't tell if the smoke was suffocating her or if it was her heart giving up on finding Regina. She didn't hear the screams surrounding here or the tears of so many. She ignored the people flying from the top floors and the bodies cracking as they smacked the ground. She focussed her terror on finding Regina, on saving her.

"Miss you can't go past here, it's not safe, Miss!" Emma shoved a pathetic fireboy out the way. Nothing would stop her from getting to Regina. Not even God himself.

"It's Mrs," she spat, charging past and racing towards the burning building. People were piling out, rushing to get away, but Emma looked for Regina. Only Regina.  She shoved her way through some fallen rubble and, she gagged at the sight, broken bodies. Some of the rubble was lit, but Emma didn’t care about the burns in her hands

Her heart stopped when she saw Sidney, Regina's personal assistant, who answered only to Regina. He was carrying a body.

It felt as though the world had fallen and crushed Emma entirely. She was dead, surely? There was no way she could survive something as brutal as this. He saw her and Emma swore she saw his mouth move in the shape of her name, but all she could hear was Regina. Her laugh, her voice, her moans, her teases, her jokes, her seriousness. Everything the woman had told her, every mumble and complaint, every joke and compliment.

Emma saw her face, her lips, her hands, her heart. Regina was all Emma could see right now, the woman was clouding her judgement. The words "love you," echoed through her head. And suddenly the world was spinning and darkening. She fought against the darkness and stumbled to him. It was only when Sidney collapsed at her feet and Emma fell beside him did she notice her vision was blurred with tears, her hands cut and the famous leather jacket torn.

Sidney was panting, his face coated in sweat, he fought to spoke. “Fire, pressure, alive,” he whispered before passing out beside her. Emma took a second to squeeze the man’s hand. She looked around for help. She could see Regina’s chest rise and fall at an unsteady rate and there was a large gash in her head, but she was breathing.

Her clothing was torn, and Emma could smell the smoke radiating from her. Her perfect skin had turned a blotchy red and was bleeding. Emma didn’t know what to do. Regina was dying. She had to be. Her breathing was staggered and her hands were twitching. How could Emma move her? It looked as though she was covered in burns. Her hair was matted with blood, leading Emma to believe she was suffering head injuries on top of the life threatening burns.

The entire area around her was surrounded in a thick smoke with fire engines and ambulance sirens wailing in the distant. But what did that matter? There was no one near enough to help her.

“Please evacuate this area, Miss,” a demanding voice requested, hands grabbing at Emma’s shoulders. She shook the man off and whipped round, desperate for help.

“Sir, please, my wife, she can’t breathe properly, sir please,” Emma rambled. The man was dressed in yellow, but in a crisis like this, yellow meant help, not necessarily medical help. All he could do was nod and sweep down, throwing Regina over his shoulder, not paying attention to the woman’s bleeding.  “Watch her!” Of course her comment was ignored. The other man with him grabbed Sidney and the two walked off. Emma went to follow, but was held back. She could see Regina being placed in an ambulance alongside Sidney so Emma tugged and struggled in the grip, panic welling up inside her.

“What the hell?” she yelled, struggling to get out of this grip. “Let me go!”

“Sheriff Swan, perhaps if you’d allow me to assist you to the hospital, we can get there before the hundreds come searching for their families,” a gentle voice whispered in her ear. Emma wriggled round to be faced with her deputy.  

“Graham!” she gasped, before a sob escaped her and she fell into him. “I thought I’d- she’d- I-” Emma tried to explain, but nothing coherent was leaving her mouth. Graham wrapped her into a hug she didn’t realise she needed.

He hushed her as he led her to the police cruiser. “Come on, let’s head over. I doubt you’ll be allowed to see her, but then again,” he smirked. “You are the Sheriff.”

Emma smiled half-heartedly up at him, nibbling her lip. She didn’t want to appear over anxious, but she couldn’t help it. Her wife had almost died, Emma had believed her dead, and now she had to wait before she could see her. It wasn’t fair. Didn’t their love mean anything to anyone?

Graham knew this was getting to Emma, and so he hurried through the crowds of people and the busy traffic to the nearest hospital, allowing Emma to actually jump from the car, despite the fact it was still moving. “Good luck, Swan.”

* * *

Emma raced into the building. The reception was busy, but not as crowded as she had expected. Emma pushed through to the desk, demanding to see Regina Mills.

“Are you family?”

Emma nodded, “yeah, sister.” It was their response whenever anyone asked. As there was no way for them to actually marry- god forbid two married women, of course they were planning the destruction of America. Emma rolled her eyes inwardly. She hated hiding her love for Regina. But if she’d have said wife, or girlfriend, she would have been denied admittance. And friend wouldn’t get her anywhere. Only relation would. Direct relation.

The nurse nodded and beckoned Emma to follow her down the bustling hospital corridors. Emma blanked out the other crying people. The men covered in blood and the women sheltering their child’s face. She ignored the woman coughing up the smoke and the child tugging at a man’s sleeve. She didn’t care about anyone but Regina.

“Forgive us, we’ve been forced to use our overflow section. This is the first time,” Emma was led through a narrow hallway, which was seemingly off limits to the public due to the lack of blood and vomit everywhere.  “Your sister is just in this room here. She’s badly injured and has suffered…” Emma ignored what the woman was reciting from the notepad. It didn’t matter, as long as she was alive.

“Okay thanks,” Emma said, forcing her way past and into the small room.


End file.
